In an earlier article, I suggested that if you want to learn English well, you should
find a good and qualified teacher who can motivate you to learn English by making the
lessons interesting and educational.
In this article, I will talk about what to look for in a TESOL teacher.
Education and Qualifications
Many English learners, perhaps more noticeably in the past, believe that if a person
is a native speaker of English, then the person can teach English! Not true! Like any
other professions, teaching English is one which requires special training. Qualified
TESOL teachers should have a solid knowledge of linguistics, language acquisition, and
current teaching theories and methodologies. They should also constantly keep themselves
up-to-date by, for example, extensive reading and attending language conferences.
Even when language schools boast that they only employ "teachers with TESOL certificates",
you still need to be aware that there are many different teacher training courses offered by
a large number of institutions around the world, and many issue a "TESOL certificate" or
"TESOL diploma" upon completion of their course. Some such certificates are recognized by
official bodies, but many are not.
As you can imagine, the quality of teacher training courses varies - some are taught by
qualified teacher trainers and are excellent courses; however, some are not professionally
taught and can be completed in as little as 5 days! Do you think one can actually be trained
to be a teacher in five short days?
Therefore, even if your English teacher has a "TESOL certificate", ask him/her these questions:
- Where did you get your training?
- Is your TESOL certificate officially recognized?
- How many hours of training have you received? (An acceptable number would be 250 hours with
practicum).
- Tell me about your teaching methods.
Experience (in teaching and learning a second language)
In Japan, many language schools prefer hiring young men and women, who have little or no
teaching experience, as English conversation teachers. It seems that appearance (looking
young and "foreign") is more important than anything else.
I am not saying that young teachers are not good, but I think experience is a very important
and valuable asset to a TESOL teacher. The more you teach, the more you understand how students learn,
which methods work, what kinds of materials are useful, etc.
It is also advisable to find a TESOL teacher who has had experience in learning a second or third language.
Think about it: if a teacher has never learned a foreign language, how can he/she give convincing
advice as to the strategies in language learning, or how to overcome the frustration that comes at
times with language learning?
Satisfying students' needs and learning styles
A good TESOL teacher should also find out students' needs (why they want to learn English) and
their learning styles (how they want to learn English), and try to satisfy such needs and teach in
such a way that embraces students' different learning styles.
It means that if a teacher uses the same technique and materials to teach all students, then chances
are the teacher is oblivious to students' different needs and learning styles.
Patience
Different students learn English at different paces. A good teacher should be patient and
should not condemn students who are making slower progress than others.
An impatient teacher will most certainly de-motivate students in no time at all!
Dedication
A good TESOL teacher should also love teaching and be dedicated to the teaching profession.
They teach because they think they can make a difference and help students to learn.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of so-called "English teachers", especially in countries like
Japan and Korea, who teach just for the money. Needless to say, such teachers rarely prepare for
classes, do not bother to upgrade their skills, and usually do not care about their students.
Sense of Humor
Last, but not the least, a good teacher should possess a good sense of humor.
I don't mean that a good teacher should act like a clown to "entertain" students, but I mean
that a good teacher should be able to make learning fun and enjoyable. Appropriate jokes
told at the right time can make students laugh and relax, and learning can take place much
easier when the atmosphere is relaxing and enjoyable.
You might ask, "How can I find a good TESOL teacher?"
As I mentioned in my earlier article, with the blessing of advanced technology, you can now
learn English not only from teachers in your own country, but also from teachers anywhere in the world
through the Internet. So, shop around, ask questions, and don't settle for a mediocre teacher
just because she/he is "close by".
